Hingis and Mirza win Miami Open women’s doubles championship

Martina Hingis of Switzerland and Sania Mirza of India pose with the Butch Buchholz Trophy after defeating Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina of Russia during the doubles final on day 14 of the Miami Open Presented by Itau at Crandon Park Tennis Center on April 5, 2015 in Key Biscayne, Florida.
Matthew Stockman
Getty Images

The Swiss Miss of tennis added another title to her bounty Sunday in Key Biscayne.

Martina Hingis, 34, teamed with Sania Mirza, 28, of India to defeat the Russian duo of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 7-5, 6-1 for the Miami Open women’s doubles championship — after being down 2-5 and then 3-5, set point, in the first set.

It was the second tournament victory in a row for Hingis and Mirza, who also won last month at Indian Wells, California, where the two joined forces for the first time.

Hingis, of Hurden, Switzerland, won the Miami doubles title last year with Sabine Lisicki, as well as in 1998 and ’99 with Jana Novotna.

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Hingis won singles titles at Miami in 1997 and 2000. Sunday’s victory gave her a career 43 doubles titles to match her 43 singles titles.

“I think it’s the most important thing that we never stop believing that we are a great team,” Hingis said. “It’s just like they played a really good set to get us to that position.

“… They started off really well, and we just had to get our rhythm and start hitting. We were like almost in the beginning thinking, OK, they were going to hand it over to us. But they’re not, because they have nothing to lose from last week, and we have to prove it again.”

That, they did, winning 11 of the last 12 games.

The pair will immediately travel to Charleston, South Carolina, to play together in the next WTA tournament, where Mirza, who moved to a new career-high ranking of No. 3 after Indian Wells, has goals of attaining the No. 1 spot.

“When we start off as kids holding a tennis racket, you dream of being No. 1 in the world,’’ Mirza said. “Very few get there. I’m obviously very, very close. I’m human, and every match that I’m playing, of course, I’m thinking and hoping that it happens.”

MAYOTTE RETURNS

The Miami Open welcomed a special former champion to help celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Tim Mayotte, 54, the tournament’s first champion in 1985, returned to the tournament to participate in the championship trophy award ceremony.

Mayotte said he won $112,500 at the tournament first known as The Lipton International Players Championships. He defeated No. 12 Scott Davis in five sets after being down 0-2. It was played at Laver’s International Tennis Resort in Delray Beach.

“The prize money was so big,” Mayotte told the Miami Herald, before learning that this year’s tournament paid $900,400 for each of the men’s and women’s winners. “This event really started a trend in these mega-tournaments.

“It was huge, incredible. It changed my career. It changed the belief I had in myself as a player.”

Mayotte said he recently moved to the Boston area, where he lives with his wife, former WTA player Anna Radeljevic. He serves as a volunteer coach at Harvard and is writing curriculum for what he hopes will be a teaching university for coaches — to be affiliated, he hopes, with Harvard.

His current academy — the Mayotte-Hurst Academy in Cranford, New Jersey — is for elite juniors and young pros.

As for the Miami Open, he said it stirs “so many great memories. I’m so happy to be down here again.’’

ANTHEM THRILL

She lives in Los Angeles but has her roots in Miami.

Elizabeth Elias, a 16-year-old actress and singer who was born in Miami, sang the national anthem on Sunday before the men’s final.

Elias is best known for her role as Mia on the Nickelodean series Every Witch Way. She also danced with the Miami Heat Jr. Jam team and the Miami Marlins dance team.

“Happy Easter!!! Love you all. On my way to sing at the @miamiopentennis Men’s Finals...’’ Elias posted to her 45,400 followers Sunday morning, linking a photo of the tournament entrance and including Emoji graphics of a heart, church, chick and bunny.

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